Benni: SA football a force to be reckoned with

Cape Town - Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy believes the participation of multiple South African teams in African club competitions can only bode well for Bafana Bafana's future. 

In recent seasons, Orlando Pirates reached the finals of CAF's Champions League and Confederation Cup, while Mamelodi Sundowns won the Champions League in 2016. 

In addition, SuperSport United also advanced to the final of the CAF Confederations Cup, but lost over two legs to TP Mazembe.

The Citizens are also on the verge of seemingly reaching the next round of the Confederations Cup as they hold a 1-0 first leg lead over Mozambique's Costa Do Sol.

The two teams will meet each other at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday.

McCarthy told reporters: "I think for South African football‚ we are always proud about how important and strong our league is‚ but we don’t get to show it. 

"But now at least we’ve got so many teams in the Confed and the Champions League. Sundowns won the Champions League‚ SuperSport went to the (Confed) final. 

"And other countries are starting to respect South Africa again‚ just for what we’re doing at club level‚ so hopefully that can be a springboard for Bafana. 

"Because now the national team have got more variety to choose from because there are more teams going into Africa and getting that experience. 

"And not just going there and filling the numbers but actually competing and showing that‚ hey‚ South Africa is a force to be reckoned with."